You Were My Hero
by mywayornoway
Summary: Everyone needs a hero, even a hero. Warning contains refrence to gravic abuse. Hense the rating. WE do not own HArry Potter


Summery: Everyone needs a hero, even a hero.

You Were My Hero

Severus Snape leaned against the wall of the Astronomy tower holding a piece of parchment with a bottle of Ogden's Best Firewhiskey at his side. He had been puzzled by Potter's last words in the hospital wing. They had been so wistful and weak. He would never forget the dyeing words of the saviour of the wizzarding world. The young man that had finally set him free for the first time in his life.

His liberation had taken place only a few hours ago at the break of day. He should be glad about his freedom and he was, but he could not take any joy just yet. All the joy that he had felt at the death of the Dark Lord was overshadowed by the letter he now sat reading. He was never as thankful for the alcoholic beverage that was on the floor beside him as he was now. The final minutes of the battle and the half hour after words kept playing through his mind.

**Start Flashback**

_"So we meet again, Potter," the red eyed snake faced wizard exclaimed as the sun started to rise in the east. _

_"I would have thought we were past last names by now, Tom," Harry Potter exclaimed. "It does get tiring after a while you know." Exhaustion could clearly be heard in the youths voice and pain from witnessing his friends fall one after the other in battle with Death Eaters and werewolves a like. "You have had you time, Tom. Now is the time for you to die. Veda Kedavra." The stream of green, that so much resembled the flames of floo travel, flew towards Voldemort as he sent a cutting curse at the younger wizard. Both wizards fell to the ground one lifeless the other hardly holding on to live._

_The much hated Potions Master watched as Harry fell to the ground unable to move to catch the boy who had saved them all. When he was finally able to shake off the shook of watching the boy fall Severus ran to the bodies of the two fallen wizards, he gently picked up the young boy, no man. He owed so much to Harry Potter. The young man had convinced the Order that the spy was only acting on orders when he had killed the headmaster the year before. Convincing them that it was a mercy killing and that Dumbeldore had asked him to do it. Now the young saviour was hardly a live, only holding on to live by a thin thread._

_"Harry, I'm sorry," Severus muttered carrying the young man into the hospital wing stepping over the lifeless bodies of the many combatients. "It wasn't suppose to happen like this." As he set the younger man down on the bed Severus immediatly started trying to heal him leaving Poppy Pomfrey to tend to the other injured wizards._

_"Professor," Harry weakly gasped as he reached his hand out to grasp the older mans hand. "Why? Why are you helping me? You are always saving me."_

_"Sh, Harry," Severus soothed the saviour running his hand through the messy black hair. "You need to rest. There will be time to talk later when you are stronger."_

_"There will be no time," Harry murmured mater of factly. "I am dyeing. We both know that. There is too much that needs to be said."_

_"No you are not dyeing," Severus muttered desperately. "You are the savour of our world. Heroes don't die so young."_

_"Promise me," Harry whispered. "Please promise me..."_

_"Anything, Harry," the older wizard exclaimed. "What ever you want I promise."_

_"Read the letter," Harry murmured with his last remaining breath. "Promise me."_

_"I promise," the ex- professor sighed with tears in his eyes. "Imperdunt brat, never listen to your elders. Always thinking you knew what was best for everyone. Just this once you should have listened and rested, saved your strength."_

**End Flashback**

"I thought I would find you here," a soft voice muttered as a sandy haired wizard stepped up the last steps into the tower. "I see you found the letter he left for you."

"Why did he not listen?" Severus asked the were wolf. "For that matter why are you not resting. You are as bad as he is."

"He knew the risks he was taking, Severus," Remus Lupin stated with a sigh. "As much as the rest of us knew the risks and he excepted those risks. He would have made his parents proud."

"How do you do it?" Severus asked the blond man standing next to him. "You have lost everything in the last two wars. First Lily and James, then Sirius two years ago, now Harry is gone. You are a stronger man then I."

"We all gave a lot up in the war," Remus told the potion master. "No one knew that more then Harry. And in his own way he cared and respected all of us."

"Did you see the letter?" the dark wizard asked the were wolf. "Do you know what he says in it?"

"He wrote the letters before the battle," Remus explained. "No one saw them until after everything was done. He wrote them and had Dobby hold on to them. He loved that elf as much as he loved any of us."

"He called me his hero," Severus exclaimed. "Me the mean git of a Potions Master. The tyrant of the dungeon. I never had a nice thing to say to him yet he said I was his hero."

"It makes sense," Remus explained. "Think back to his third year..."

**Start Flashback**

_The Potion Master walked into the DADA classroom robes bellowing as they always did and noticed the damn werewolf had left without taking his potion. "The damn were wolf knew how important it was to take the potion," Severus muttered to himself. "What could possible have been more important then taking the potion? He was putting the whole school at risk. It would be just like Lupine to forget something this important and then when something went wrong blame it on the potion not being made right." _

_Then Severus noticed the were wolf running towards the Shrieking Shack in pursuit of the Golden Trio. Those three brats had the uncanny nack of getting themselves into the worst kind of trouble and they were being pursued by a werewolf that would transform in an hour. They were sure to get themselves in trouble. The trio knew they weren't suppose to be out especially with that mad man Sirius Black on the lose._

_Resigning himself to fate he took off after the three dunderheads ready to deduct countless number of points from Gryffindor when he got them back to the safety of the castle. Why did the stubborn Potter boy have to make so much trouble for him? He was just like his father, he thought he was a bove the rules. That he was above the rules. Severus raced through the grounds intent on rescuing the cursed boy and his friends just as he saw them sneak into the tunnel leading to the Shack. This was the last place he wanted to be. It brought back very bad memories to him especially on the night of the full moon._

_"What the hell was Potter thinking dragging his friends here at this time of night?" Snape wondered as he got closer to the trapdoor. As he lifted the trapdoor he heard the unmistakable voice of Sirius Black and Professor Lupin arguing with the children and exclaiming their intent to curse someone. Snape didn't hesitate in raising his wand ready to incarcirating the two friends. This was his pay back, he was finally going to get his revenge on the last of the Marauders. He had told Dumbledore time and again that the were wolf would help the mutt into the castle. But the old man would not listen. He insisted that Lupin had changed and that he would protect Potter._

_As Severus opened the door to the room that the voices were coming from his world suddenly went black and the next thing he remembered was being outside in the cool night air with the full moon rising and Lupin transforming into the were wolf. Without truly thinking he threw himself in between the three Gryffindors and the were wolf well drawing his wand. The only place for them to go was back into the damn able tunnel and pray to Merlin that the wolf did not follow them in._

_Severus didn't notice the howl that came from the forest nor did he notice Black turn into the grim and lure the wolf a way from himself and the students. The next thing he remembered was the deathly cold of the Dementors as a hundred of the horrid beasts descended on the lake and the grim. The last thought he had before he succumbed to the blackness was that he had failed not only the headmaster but also Lily. He had not noticed that the dunderheaded Potter boy had taken off after Black and was trying to fight off the Dementors or the fact that for some reason the Dementors were being driven back._

**End Flashback**

**"**That was not one of my more spectacular rescues," Snape sneered lifting the glass of firewiskey to his lips to take a long drink.

"It may not have been," Lupin responded with a far a way look in his eyes. "But it was not the only time you saved his life. Harry mentioned how you saved him in first year from falling off his broom and to a certain death."

"Even that was fouled up," the Potions Master muttered looking at the wolf. "If he hadn't been able to hold on to his broom he would have surely fallen off. I would not have been able to catch him if he had fallen."

"But by muttering the counter curse you made it possible for Harry to keep enough control of the broom to stay in the air."

"If Granger hadn't set my robes on fire Quaryl would have succeeded in throwing him off the broom."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Severus. Fine but you were the one that told us about them going into the Department of Mysterys allowing us to rescue them. Before you contradict me on this point think. We could not have you leaving the school or revealing yourself as a spy. "

"Harry also wrote me a letter," Lupin continued. "In it he pointed out that we all had a roll to play and we all must play that roll. You risked yourself to save him every year helping him learn what he needed to learn. Even though he didn't show it he realised it. It wasn't even two months ago that you made it possible for us to drag him out of Voldemort's clutches and bring him back here. If you hadn't done that where would we be now."

"Harry would still be a live," Snape snapped at the former DADA professor. "He might not be in the best of shape but he would still be a live."

"I highly doubt that. Voldemort would not have let him live for long. He was close to death when we got him back here."

**Flashback**

_Harry was cold and in pain he was sure that he had a couple broken ribs. He had no idea where he was although the place kind of reminded him of the cupboard under he stairs, he remembered going to Hogsmead with the rest of the students before the Death Eater attack. He had tried to fight them off well the other DA members herded the other students to safety before he was captured by Lucius Melfoy. After that he could remember nothing . Harry slowly opened his eyes to look around the small room he was in. The walls were stone and there were no windows. There were bars for a door but other then that it was all stone. He knew he was in one of Voldemort's dungeon cells, he now had no doubt about that._

_"Enjoying yourself, Mr. Potter," one of the death Eaters muttered from the door. "I can't say that I am surprised to see you nor that I am displeased, although I would have preferred to be the one to bring you in and receive the pleasure of the approval of the Dark Lord. Oh, yes the Dark Lord is most pleased."_

_"I am sure he is, Snape," Harry muttered scooting back against the wall, after six years of having the man for a teacher you learned to recognise the sound of the voice. "Tell him I look forward to meeting him again soon."_

_"Oh, you will be meeting him in a few hours," Snape continued. "You are to be the entertainment tonight. Be sure to scream with your nice high pitched scream. He does so love the way you scream. He has heard it in our memories. You remind him of the sound of a stuck pig."_

_"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Although I can not say that I really care what Voldemort prefers and what he doesn't"_

_"You always were a brat, you know that?"_

_"So I have been told countless number of times by you. Now I would like a few more minutes before the party begins. I feel that I cannot be at my best without enough rest. And we do not want to disappoint your master do we."_

_Severus hoped he had given the Order enough time for the rescue, there was not much he could do without help. He had tried to be the one to get the first go at the boy, in hopes of buying more time, but the Dark Lord had been insistent that Lucius be the one to receive that privilege. By the time the Order members arrived he did not hold out much hope as to the state the boy would be in. Lucius took as much pleasure in inflicting pain as Bellatrix did. There was only one thing to do and he hoped the brat would follow instructions just this once. The Dark Lord had told him to brew a potion that would increase the amount of pain the boy felt. He wanted the potion to double the pain and stretch it out so he wouldn't be relieved for two days. Severus had added a strong strengthening potion to the one that the Dark Lord had asked for in hopes that it would give the younger wizard the strength to survive. That was all that he could do here. The rest he would have to do at Hogwart's. He hoped they would let him help heal the brat, even if it was just brewing the potion. As long as the boy took the potion without question they would be safe._

_The Death Eater meeting had been going on for an hour before the Order members showed up. Even with the added strengthening Potion Harry would not have lasted much longer. The boy had taken more abuse then any of the other captives had ever had. His screams could be heard throughout the grave yard that was the present meeting place. Voldemort in his sick and twisted mind wanted it finished where it had begun three years ago. Yet Harry was still throwing taunting remarks at everyone he came in contact with even though he could hardly keep his eyes open. The Death Eaters had not held anything back. They had used every type of abuse imaginable, both muggle and magical. The boy- who - lived looked as if he had been dragged over coals and run over by a lawn mower. How anyone could still be a wake Severus did not know. Potter's resilience intrigued him and he hoped the boy would recover both physically and mentally._

_Severus watched as Lupin leviatated the battered and shredded boy over to him while the others were distracting the Death Eaters. Severus smirked when the boy started yelling at the were wolf telling him that he wasn't even fit to clean the floor with. To the wolf's credit he just blinked and gave the boy a sad reassuring smile. Severus then threw himself into a fake duel with Lupin aware that if he did not engage him they would not be able to escape. After throwing a few wayward curses at Lupin the were wolf took the boy and portkeyed out of the graveyard. Severus knew he was going to pay dearly for letting the boy get a way but at least Potter was safe for now._

**End Flashback**

"Harry would have never lasted long enough for us to get to him if it hadn't been for you," Remus muttered. "You saved him. You are the only reason we were able to get him out."

"I am not a hero," Severus raged. "None of you would have believed me if it hadn't been for Harry. He is as much my saviour as anyone elses. Can you honestly say that any of you would have believed me when I came to tell you where he was if he hadn't convinced you that I was still on your side. That Dumbledore knew he was dyeing and had told me to kill him if Draco couldn't."

"No I can't say that any of us would have. But what Harry saw in you was genuine. He knew things about you that I don't think you even know about yourself."

"I hardly think that is the case."

"You never wavered in your believes," Remus told Severus. "You never turned your back on him. Harry kept his friends close and watched them. He did not want one to turn out like Wormtail. He told me about the day that the rat was captured."

**Flashback**

_Harry and Ron had gone to Diagon Alley for their school supplies even though Molly had begged them to wait until the rest of the family could accompany them, but Harry was insistent that their were things he needed to pick up and that he needed to get them that day. As the two friends were exiting Flourish and Blotts they noticed a yellowish rat with a silver claw. Both boys knew who the rat was but had to wonder why it was there a lone. Death Eaters did not come out to play a lone. "Ron, get everyone inside," Harry called as he urgently scanned the surrounding area for any sign of more Death Eaters. "More will be coming and I do not want to run the risk of any children getting hurt. Hurry."_

_"I thought you might like a little present," A smooth baritone voice whispered next to Harry's left ear._

_"So what you brought me the traitor," Harry replied with a raised eyebrow that made the owner of the voice proud. "And what pray tell shall I do with it. I stopped Sirius and Remus from killing him once and he got a way. If he could get a way from them. Two fully trained wizards how am I going to keep him from escaping."_

_"Capture him you idiot boy," Severus replied still invisible. "Put him in a cage. Take him to the Ministry. Cook him for supper. I don't care. But what ever you do do it quickly before the others get here."_

_"More of you are coming then," Harry stated. "How many?"_

_"I am not sure," Severus sneered in annoyance. "Take the present and hurry."_

_"Is this a peace offering then," Harry managed as he conjured a cage over the rat and floated him over to Ron giving him instructions to take the rat to the ministry and send some Arours. "I would say that it would prove to be most unpleasant for you if Voldemort found out you set this attack up to fail."_

_"That is the glory of this whole thing," Snape returned. "I didn't set it up. Petegrew did. If he gets caught in the process of the attack it is not my fault. Nor is it my fault that you and Mr. Weasley were shopping today. Although how you got past the tyrone of a witch Molly Weasley I have no idea."_

_"Simple I told her that I had important business here that I had to take care of today," Harry replied with a smirk "And that no I did not need her help. Remus did wonder why I picked the day after a full moon though."_

_"That was the supposed genius of the plan," Severus stated. "Petegrew figured he was safer with the were wolf out of commission then to risk him coming to help defend the people."_

_"How long do I have before the attack?"_

_"They are coming now. I must go as I was not suppose to be here."_

**end flashback**

**"**That was the day you won back his trust," Remus informed Severus. "In your own way you told him where to be and when to be there without telling him what was going to happen."

"If I had told him that there was going to be an attack he would have notified the rest of the Order. Then even if he was able to get a way he would never have been abe to accept his gift."

"And he knew that. I am ashamed to say that it took a lot of convincing on Harry's part to get the rest of us to accept that you were still on our side. For my part I apologise. I guess part of me was still too hurt from other betrayals. Then Wormtail kept screaming about how much of a traitor you were. That you had turned him over to Harry smirking the whole time. That was when I realised that you did not turn on us."

"Harry once told me he wished he had your strength. He looked up to you and admired you. He might have looked like James, he might have had Lily's brains, he might have thought of Sirius as an alternate father figure for a few years. But it was you he wanted to be like. That day in Diagon Alley you demonstrated a kind of inner strength that Harry wanted but felt he could never have. Just as Harry had some very Slytherin traits you have several Gryffindor traits."

"The Golden boy of Gryffindor did not want to be like the snarky Death Eater Potion MAster. That is ridiculous. We were always at each others throats and trading insults."

"But it was you who treated him like he wanted to be treated. All his life he wanted to be treated as just Harry, not the- boy- who- lived, not the- Golden- boy, just Harry. He hated the fame and how he was always treated as a celebrity. You tried to given a little bit of a normal live, a normal childhood. In a lot of respects the wizarding world failed Harry. All of us except for you Severus. Lily's family called him a freak and most of the wizarding world treated him as a freak. Someone that was different. Because you didn't he looked up to you and wanted to be like you. I highly doubt he would have become a Death Eater but he did look up to you."

"I am no ones hero," Snape sneered. "Least of all the hero of the wizarding worlds hero."

"But you were, Severus," Lupin continued. "You were the hero to the one person that none of us were capable of being a hero to. When he came to school who was the one that was here for in Harry's life. No matter what happened he knew he could count on you and he knew what to expect. You were there for him, rather the two of you were trading insults or you were trying to keep him out of trouble. It was you who was there for him. You were the one he leaned on. Besides everyone even hero's need a hero. If things had been different you and he could have been great friends."

That night as Severus was getting ready for bed Harry appeared to him. "I only have a few minutes," Harry whispered. "I just wanted to say thank you. I would have never made it if it wasn't for your help. And I'm sorry I was such a git to you when I was in school."

"You could have made it with out me," Severus replied.

"No I couldn't. Mum and dad thank you too. For watching out for me and everything. You never asked at what cost you just did what you had to do. You Severus Snape are the best hero anyone could have. Thank you." With that Harry drifted off never to be seen or heard from again. Some say that a spirit stays behind just long enough to do the things that they have left undone and that is what Harry had done.

The next morning Severus Snape woke with a small hang over and a perplexed smile on his face. He wondered if Harry had really visited him until he noticed the small feather with a lightning bolt running down the middle and the image of a stag and lily on either side. It was all the prove he needed that he had indeed been visited the night before and it wasn't just a dream. He could now accept the fact that for a while he had been some ones hero as unlikely as it might be.

Read and review.

_**Parting thought:**_

Hero's are everywhere in the world we just have to open our eyes and see them for who they are.


End file.
